


Midnight's Shadow

by ranichi17



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Dangan Ronpa AU, Gen, Hetalia Kink Meme, Kink Meme, School Life of Mutual Killing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-29 16:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1007662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranichi17/pseuds/ranichi17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lovino Vargas never expected anything out of the ordinary when he and his brother accepted the scholarship to W Academy. Too bad he gets involved in the school life of mutual killing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Charing Cross

**Author's Note:**

> A Kink Meme De-Anon for the [request](http://hetalia-kink.dreamwidth.org/82590.html?thread=509164446#cmt509164446) "Ensemble, Dangan Ronpa AU This would probably work best in a Gakuen AU. A group of fifteen nations are locked in their school and are forced to play a killing game in order to leave. Bonus points if Allies and Axis are not all involved; one from each group would be A++." Still ongoing over there, though, so hush and don't tell OP.
> 
> Warnings for language, outrageous death traps, your favourite nation possibly dying before this fic ends, furry animal friends becoming psycho bloodthirsty robots, dark humour, and references to Greek Mythology. If you're disturbed by any of those, just, um, turn on a mental bleep or something.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lovino and his brother arrive at the prestigious W Academy and they are in for a big surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written 17 October 2013, rewritten 17 August 2015.

 

 _"As I was going by Charing Cross,_  
_I saw a black man upon a black horse;_  
_They told me it was King Charles the First-_  
_Oh dear, my heart was ready to burst!"_

  
  

W Academy was _huge_.

Granted, the only sight of the school Lovino Vargas and his brother Feliciano saw just yet was only the gates. Pristine white grills with a W monogrammed on them towered over Lovino and the two lions placed on either side of the gate looked down on him, making him feel even more inadequate than he already did. It didn’t really help that besides his brother, there was no other sign of human presence around.

 

The thing is, Lovino was not even supposed to go here in the first place. If only everything had gone according to his plans, he would be attending the Scuola beside his friends and Feli alone would be studying here.

But no, fate just _had_ to be a bitch, and Lovino’s name just _had_ to be drawn above the millions of ordinary students entered in the draw that determined the supposedly lucky student who would be granted the title “Super High School Level Good Luck” and the chance to study at the world’s premiere academy honing the _crème de la crème de la crop_.

“Super High School Level Good Luck.” Lovino had laughed when he received the invitation. The title was just a polite way of saying “charity pupil,” and he almost declined it, until he remembered that all his brothers, barring their youngest Carlino, had attended the academy, and to decline meant he would be the family disappointment again. Between that and choking on his almost non-existent pride and accepting the invitation, there really wasn’t much of a competition.

Oh, hell. What’s done is done. So much for finally getting Feliciano off his back after 16 years of constant whining.

 

“Are we late, _fratello_? I can’t see anyone else around,” Feliciano said while poking Lovino’s elbow, breaking his string of thoughts.

When Lovino turned his attention to his brother, he noticed that Feliciano kept on alternating his glance on three things: the acceptance letter Feliciano held in his hand, Lovino himself, and the gate standing ominously before them. Feliciano was as nervous as he was. That was new.

Lovino sighed. This was going to be a long morning.

“Let’s just go in already!” Lovino yelled as he grabbed his brother’s arm and dragged him inside the gate and into the entrance hall, despite Feliciano’s whining.

 

But the minute they stepped foot inside W Academy, it happened.

Lovino’s vision began to swirl, and he could no longer feel his hand gripping his brother’s arm. Round and round his vision went, and the world slowly faded from his eyes.

Then darkness.

At that moment, the ordinary lives of the Vargas brothers ended.

At that moment, too, Lovino realised that “Good Luck” was never really his title, but “Bad Luck.” Before he lost all consciousness, Lovino had only a single thought.

 

_“Fuck.”_


	2. Come Out to Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lovino finds himself sleeping in class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written 18 October 2013, rewritten 15 October 2016.

_"Girls and boys, come out to play,_  
_The moon doth shine as bright as day;_  
_Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,_  
_And come with your playfellows into the street._  
_Come with a whoop, come with a call,_  
_Come with a good will or not at all._  
_Up the ladder and down the wall,_  
_A halfpenny roll will serve us all._  
_You find milk, and I'll find flour,_  
_And we'll have a pudding in half an hour."_

Lovino's first thought when he woke up in a deserted classroom was to run away quickly and never look back. But that was when he noticed that the door was closed and the windows were bolted shut. There goes his escape plan.

Nerves of steel never did run in his family. If he knew his brother well, Feliciano was probably—

Wait. Shit. Where was Feli?

Escape plans be damned. He needed to find his little brother.

 

At least the classroom door wasn't locked. Thank god for small mercies.

_"Fratello!"_

Lovino nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his brother's voice.

"Feliciano! Are you alright? What happened?" Lovino asked. Feliciano could be irritating at times, but he's still Lovino's brother.

"I don't know. I just panicked when I woke up in a classroom and you weren't there," Feliciano whined, his hands flying off in all directions the way he does when he's nervous, a trait shared by all members of the Vargas family, though Lovino would be hard-pressed to admit that he himself also does that.

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_"Attention. All new students of W Academy are requested to proceed to the gymnasium immediately for the opening ceremony. Slackers will be appropriately punished. Thank you."_

 

The brothers looked at each other after the announcement was finished.

"What do you think, _Fratello_? Should we go?" Feliciano asked, hands still fidgeting.

Lovino shrugged in response. "Well, do we even have a choice?"

Obviously none.

 

When the brothers entered the gymnasium, there were already fourteen other students waiting. None of them looked any older than Lovino. And by the looks on their faces, none of them knew what the hell was going on.

One of them was sleeping; a cat perched on his head. Beside the sleeping guy was a grumpy blond with humongous eyebrows.

Two blond boys, obviously the youngest among all those present, were talking to each other in the far side of the room. By their identical looks, Lovino guessed they were twins.

Lovino only had time to sit down before a large robotic animal entered the room and addressed them. The robot looked like some chimera, the left half of it being white and looking like any ordinary stuffed toy, while the right half looked like something straight out of a freak show, being black with a red eye shaped like lightning and its mouth twisted into some sort of terrifying grin.

"Good morning, you bastards, and welcome to W Academy. Now, someone please wake up Mr Karpusi before I begin."

The grumpy blond tapped the shoulder of the sleeping person beside him, and when that person woke up, the amused robot continued.

"As I was saying, welcome to W Academy. My name is Mr Alphachrome, but you could address me as Alpha. I am your headmaster, and today I will be telling you what you should expect on your indefinite stay in this place."

"What animal are you supposed to be, Mr Alphachrome? Are you a llama?" some idiot from the back row who just couldn't keep his mouth shut asked.

The robot shook its head. "No, Mr Fernandez, I am an alpaca. Interrupting me and referring to me as a llama are both punishable offences, but since this is your first day, I'll let it slide. Now, as you might have guessed, there is no way out of this school. You could choose to stay here in relatively mutual peace forever, or you could opt for a graduation."

"How so?" the idiot asked again, probably not understanding the word punishment.

The robot alpaca grinned menacingly. "Strike two, Mr Fernandez! You don't want to know what happens at three. But I'm glad you asked. Graduating from W Academy is simple. You have to kill your classmate, and the others must not find it out."

Then it stood on its hind legs, clapping its forelegs together in bemusement. "Isn't mutual killing fun? Way better than those boring classroom lectures? I thought you'd enjoy it. But before I leave you to party, I'll give you your Electronic Student ID cards. It contains all basic information about you, as well as W Academy's rules. Remember to read through them before you go a-plotting your murders~! Oh, and by the way, students are only allowed to sleep at their dorm rooms."

And with that, the alpaca-shaped robot strutted out of the room.

Lovino mouth hung open, still staring at the quickly disappearing figure of the robotic menace. What the fuck was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha. Yes, it's Hima-papa's alpaca. In the words of my wise friend Gill, "Alpacas are neutral. You never know who's behind it. For all we know, it could even be Himaruya."
> 
> Also, I asked another friend if the number of students was stretching it, but she shrugged it off, saying that "SDR2 starts with 16 students, it's fine."


	3. Ring a Ring o’ Roses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Behold the participants of the game.  
> In other news, a motive has been revealed!

_"Ring-a-ring o' roses,_  
_A pocket full of posies,_  
_Hush! Hush! Hush! Hush!_  
_We've all tumbled down."_  
  
**Despair Hotel**  
**2nd day**  
**7.00 am**  
  
_“Good morning, you bastards! Let’s all strive to do our best today.”_  
  
The announcement woke Lovino up with a start, and he almost fell from the bunk bed he was sleeping on. On the lower bed, Feliciano could still be heard snoring.  
  
As he looked around him, Lovino realised that, nope, everything that happened yesterday wasn’t just some nightmare brought about by drinking too much tomato juice. He really was stuck at W Academy, forced to participate in a killing game with his own brother and their classmates.  
  
What kind of a sick bastard would do that?  
  
Lovino sighed as he climbed down from the bed to wake his brother up.  
  
“Oi, Feli! Wake up!” Lovino said with a sharp rap on the bed post.  
  
“Eh? But _Fratello_ , isn’t it our summer break?” Feliciano yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  
  
Lovino rolled his own eyes. “Sorry to disappoint, but did you forget what happened yesterday?”  
  
“You mean it wasn’t just a nightmare?” Feliciano blinked, wide-eyed, his surprise and horror dispelling any desire to return to slee.  
  
Lovino merely avoided his brother’s gaze.  
  
“Don’t worry, _Fratello_ , I’m sure someone will save us!” Feliciano said with a smile.  
  
Trust Feliciano to be the eternal optimist.  
  
  
  
**Cafeteria**

  
There are three kinds of high school students in the world.  
  
There are the punctual, by-the-book students, like the grumpy blond.  
  
There are the perpetually late students, like Feliciano and Lovino.  
  
And there are those that don’t care about the time at all, like the guy with the cat.  
  
“All right, everyone! Since we’re all going to be stuck here for a long time, why don’t we introduce ourselves?” a blond guy with slicked-back hair said.  
  
Looks like this guy’s used to being in charge. And why is this school full of blond boys, anyway?  
  
“I’m Ludwig Beilschmidt, SHSL Strategist,” the blond continued, face stuck in a frown.  
  
Ah. So that’s why he looks familiar. The SHSL Strategist, the boy who’s all about discipline. Only someone like him could manage to manipulate his way through every war game and come out as the victor.  
  
So how did Lovino find out about all of this? Simple. The night before he went to W Academy, Lovino joined a discussion forum online, and researched on his would-be classmates. He’d deny that to the grave, though.  
  
“Ve~” Feliciano waved, smiling wide at everyone present. “I’m Feliciano Vargas, SHSL Artist, and this is my brother Lovino, SHSL Good Luck.”  
  
Then there’s his brother. Oh boy, where to even begin? Consistently winning every art competition he has joined since he was three, there was no wonder he was their grandfather’s favourite. Let’s not even mention all the money he brings whenever one of his paintings gets auctioned off.  
  
“Hey! Alfred F. Jones here. SHSL Hero, and this is my twin brother, Matthew Williams,” one of the twin blonds waved, a boisterous grin etched on his face, his shy brother in tow. Alfred was the one wearing the square-framed glasses and a neatly cropped hair, though an annoying cowlick still stood up. Matthew, on the other hand, was wearing the round-framed glasses, his hair wavy and soft with one of the strands sticking up. Matthew was also holding a polar bear plushie.  
  
Alfred F. Jones. Everyone back in the discussion forum thinks that Hero isn’t his real title, but Heir, since it was he and his brother who stood to inherit their father’s vast fortunes. Lovino couldn’t care less.  
  
“If you guys are twins, then why do you have different surnames?” a brunette wearing a flower on her hair asked.  
  
The twins exchanged a glance before answering.  
  
“We’d much rather not talk about it,” they said in unison.  
  
The brunette nodded. “Oh, I see. Well, I’m Erzsébet Héderváry, SHSL Photojournalist.”  
  
Lovino would rather not talk about the subjects of her photographs, thank you very much.  
  
“Roderich Edelstein, SHSL Pianist,” the aristocratic-looking boy beside Erzsébet said.  
  
Lovino’s seen people in the post comparing this boy to Mozart. And in fact, that pretty much explains how Edelstein’s career started.  
  
“Basch Zwingli. SHSL Sharpshooter,” a grumpy blond said, not looking up at the rest of them.  
  
Apparently, this guy started to practice his gun-slinging when some unlucky bastard threatened his sister. Best to stay away from him if you value your life.  
  
“I’m Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, SHSL Chef. By the way, I like tomatoes,” said the idiot who interrupted the alpaca yesterday.  
  
SHSL Chef, huh? According to the post, this guy world-famous for his delicious renditions of tomato-based dishes. One of these days, Lovino’s going to find that out himself.  
  
Another blond guy (seriously, why are there so many blonds) clapped Antonio's shoulder. This blond was dressed ostentatiously, wearing a blue coat with a red cape. “ _Mon ami_ , I think that part was unnecessary. Francis Bonnefoy, SHSL Connoisseur. And _les sourcils_ over there is Arthur Kirkland, SHSL Sorcerer. Or at least, that’s what he claims.”  
  
“Rubbish. Magic is more real than your pretentious stubble, you frog,” the guy with the huge eyebrows shot back.  
  
Lovino honestly didn’t want to know what connoisseur means.  
  
As for Arthur, they say that he was from a long line of powerful wizards. Not that Lovino believes in any of that.

“My name is Honda Kiku, SHSL Mangaka. I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” a black-haired guy said, bowing politely to them.  
  
So this was the guy those girls were fawning over? Now that Lovino remembers it, he has seen the name on some of the things Carlino reads.  
  
Then the perpetually asleep guy with the cat raised his head from the table.“Ah, is it my turn already? I am Herakles Karpusi, SHSL Philosopher.”  
  
Hailing from the land of great thinkers, Herakles Karpusi may seem like he’s no threat, but his ideas are at par with those of the ones that came before him.  
  
Yet another blond then introduced himself. This blond had a laptop, and he barely looked away from the screen as he gave his name. “Eduard von Bock. SHSL Programmer.”  
  
Lovino’s so-called research told him that von Bock has already designed several programmes for big-time companies, though someone in the post claimed that von Bock was actually a genius hacker in his spare time.  
  
“Hey, I’m Im Yong Soo, SHSL Inventor,” a kid introduced himself, as enthusiastic about it as Feliciano was.  
  
Yong Soo was a great inventor, but he had a nasty habit of claiming that he invented everything in sight.  
  
“Wang Yao, SHSL Merchant,” another black-haired man said. This one was holding a panda plushie in his arm.  
  
According to reports, Yao has made a fortune out of buying, selling, and haggling. Apparently his motto was “You name it, I have it.”  
  
“Is that everyone, then? So did anyone find out anything yesterday?” Ludwig asked.  
  
“All the exits are replaced with steel doors and couldn’t be broken. It’s the same with the windows,” Alfred sighed.  
  
“The kitchen’s stocked with all kinds of ingredients,” Feliciano chirped.  
  
“But with sixteen of us here, wouldn’t that run out sooner or later?” Antonio asked.  
  
“Mr. Alpha said he’d restock it every week, so it’s fine,” Feli replied, still smiling.  
  
“What I really want to know right now is how they managed to haul us away from W Academy and dump us here,” Francis said.  
  
Matthew raised his hand shyly before speaking. “Um, about that, I have a floor plan of the school and this place follows it to the letter, which means that whoever they are, they managed to take over W Academy and lock us up.”  
  
Everyone else groaned.

  
  
_DING-DONG-DING_  
  
_“I see you slackers are enjoying yourselves, but how about you break that up for a while and go back to the gymnasium for my new announcement?”_  
  
  
  
**Gymnasium**

  
  
“Took you a while to get here,” Alphachrome yawned. He was sitting on a reclining chair near the podium, but as soon as the students arrived, he stood up on all fours.  
  
“Why’d you summon us here?” Arthur demanded.  
  
“Jeez, Kirkland, that hotheadedness of yours will be your downfall someday,” Alphachrome sneered.  
  
“Well, since you’ve asked, I summoned you guys here because I was getting bored waiting for a murder to happen. So I decided to give you guys an incentive,” the alpaca continued.  
  
“Incentive?” Matthew asked.  
  
“Yes, Williams, an incentive! Don’t you have anything better to do than repeating everything I say?” Alphachrome snapped impatiently. “So, are you ready?”  
  
The alpaca clapped its front hooves, and as he did, something fell from the ceiling.  
  
“Ten billion bucks! I’m giving all of it to a student who successfully graduates! I bet some of you can’t wait to graduate, huh?”  
  
“What do you think you’re doing, buying us with money?” Francis said.  
  
“Whatever you do, there’s no way we’re going to kill for that!” Feliciano screamed.  
  
“Well, we’ll see about that. Upupu~”

  
  
**End second day  
Students remaining: 16**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's longer this time. I actually have a reason for using that motive first, though.  
> Now you've met the players in the game.  
> Any bets on who dies first? //shot  
> Honestly though, I've already written the murders and executions, I'm just waiting for the moment I'm going to use them, but I can't decide on the order, so any suggestions?


	4. Black Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vino makes a new friend.

_"Baa, baa, black sheep,_  
_Have you any wool?_  
_Yes, sir, yes, sir,_  
_Three bags full;_  
_One for the master,_  
_And one for the dame,_  
_And one for the little boy_  
_Who lives down the lane."_

 

“ _Merda_! I’ll go insane if I stay here for another minute!” Lovino screamed as he got up from his bed.

“ _Fratello_ , you’re not going to... kill someone for that, right?” Feliciano peeked from his own bed.

“I didn’t mean this hell hole, I meant this room, you idiot!”

“But wouldn’t it be dangerous to go out of our rooms when it’s almost Night Time? I mean, isn’t that the reason why we made that rule in the first place?”

 

 

_“I have a proposal to make,” Ludwig announced as they finished eating dinner._

_“And what would that be?” Lovino didn’t bother looking up to see who raised the question._

_“We should add our own rule to this book. See this one about Night Time? Maybe we should all agree not to leave our rooms during Night Time so none of us will be a danger to ourselves and to others?”_

“Fine. Suit yourself, then,” Lovino said with a smirk.

 “Fine.”

 The door closed after Lovino with a loud thud.

 

Lovino was just a few paces from their dorm room when he realised that his brother was right. This place really was creepy at night.  Not to mention he keeps hearing those footsteps in the background.

Wait a minute.

Footsteps?

Nervously, Lovino turned around to see who was making the sound.

And then he screamed.

 

 

“Jesus, Vargas, calm down! It’s only me!”

“Eh?”

Lovino blinked.

Before him stood one of the twins, exactly which one he was unsure of.

“I know that look, Vargas. It’s Alfred.”

“I wasn’t going to ask that,” Lovino defended himself. “I was going to ask what the hell you’re doing out at this hour.”

“Matt kicked me out of our room. Said I was distracting him from reading his book. You?”

“I was getting bored staring at the ceiling.”

“Want to hang out, then?”

“Sure, why the hell not?”

Thus started a friendship, which in other circumstances, would’ve been implausible.

 

 

“So, how did you get here again?” Alfred asked after a few minutes of _very_ awkward silence.

“…I won a raffle,” was Lovino’s reply.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

Another silence. Each of them is probably thinking of an appropriate topic.

“Your brother seems nice,” Alfred finally said.

“He is. Yours seems nice, too.” Lovino couldn’t help but smile.

“You don’t know my brother,” Alfred said with a strange gleam in his eyes. “You wouldn’t want him constantly on your back.”

“Why, what’s wrong with him?” Lovino asked.

“I didn’t say there was something wrong with him. It’s just that he’s a little weird that he can’t make friends.”

Lovino shook it off as a case of brotherly rivalry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, it's really short this time. Meh.  
> I will be _very_ disappointed if no one catches the subtle hints and references.


	5. Roud #19526

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get interesting and the plot _finally_ advances. (I hope.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Dramatis Personae**  
>  Lovino Vargas, 17 years old, SHSL Good Luck  
> Feliciano Vargas, 16 years old  
> Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, 17 years old  
> Matthew Williams, 15 years old  
> Alfred F. Jones, 15 years old  
> Eduard von Bock, 16 years old  
> Herakles Karpusi, 17 years old  
> Arthur Kirkland, 17 years old  
> Basch Zwingli, 17 years old  
> Honda Kiku, 16 years old  
> Roderich Edelstein, 17 years old  
> Wang Yao, 17 years old  
> Francis Bonnefoy, 17 years old  
> Erzsébet Héderváry, 17 years old  
> Im Yong Soo, 15 years old  
> Ludwig Beilschmidt, 16 years old

_"Monday's child is fair of face,_  
_Tuesday's child is full of grace,_  
_Wednesday's child is full of woe,_  
_Thursday's child has far to go,_  
_Friday's child is loving and giving,_  
_Saturday's child works hard for a living,_  
_But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day_  
_Is bonny and blithe and good and gay."_

_“Good morning, you bastards! Let’s all strive to do our best today.”_

Lovino couldn’t help but think that the announcement was pre-recorded. After all, it _was_ the same exact words every single damn time. Still, he’d better get used to it if he was damned to live here for the rest of his life.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, most of the other students were already there. Williams was already arguing with Alfred, who beamed when he saw Lovino enter.

“Hey, Vargas!”

Lovino had a choice to run and pretend he didn’t hear Alfred. But no. He decided to heed the call, and sit on the twins’ cafeteria table.

Alfred started chattering as soon as Lovino sat down.

“Hey, about what happened last night –”

Lovino tuned out. He didn’t want to hear anything about any stupid thing they’ve done the night before.

“– so, anyway, where’s your brother?”

“Oh, him? Probably out gallivanting with that Beilschmidt or something.”

Not that Lovino cares. Feliciano can take care of himself, thank you very much.

“Man, that alpaca’s scary. Did you see those things he left in our rooms while we slept? He must really be determined to see us kill each other,” Alfred continued. He must be talking about the toolboxes on the table with sticky notes attached to them.

At that moment, Beilschmidt entered, with Feliciano and Honda in tow. The German’s face was stuck with a grim expression.

“We may have a problem,” Beilschmidt announced.

“Hm? And what may that be?” Kirkland asked.

“Herakles won’t come out of his room. I pushed the intercom button many times, but he’s not coming out.”

“Maybe he’s not in there?” That was Alfred’s brother.

“In that case…What if something happened to him?” the only girl in their group, Erzsébet, said.

Lovino understood what she meant. Everyone did. The air was thick with suspicion and fear.

“We should go look for him. Let’s split up and search,” Honda suggested.

“Hey! I was about to make that suggestion myself!” Alfred said.

“That’s Alfred. Always the hero, even at a time like this,” Matthew muttered.

“Ah! I’ll go to his room. I’ll keep ringing him until he answers,” Yong Soo volunteered.

“Well? Are going to search or not? Let’s go,” Kirkland said impatiently.

 

“Ve~ _Fratello_ , where could he be?” Feliciano asked as they were searching around the hallways. “What if someone fell for Alpha’s motive and –”

“Quit it, _idiota_! This is no time to think like that!” Lovino shouted. That shut up his brother.

 

“So, did you find him?” Alfred asked when they met at the hallway.

“No luck,” Lovino sighed.

“Well, there’s still one room we haven’t searched yet,” Matthew contemplated. “And it’s certainly where an SHSL Philosopher might spend his time.”

The library. That’s what Matthew was referring to. All four students ran to the direction of the library, hoping they weren’t too late.

 

“Well, this is it,” Lovino said.

The shadow of the library door loomed over the four students. An ominous aura was seeping out of it. A voice repeatedly whispered the words “Don’t open it” in Lovino’s head.

Matthew held the doorknob. It felt cold.

He pushed the door open, and the two sets of brothers stepped inside.

There was a rope hanging from the ceiling.

A large hammer from Alphachrome’s toolset was swinging at its end.

There was someone on the desk, seemingly asleep.

Herakles.

Someone screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho~ I'll just leave this here.


	6. A Wise Old Owl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stage is set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so ~~not~~ sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter. Here, have another round.

_“A wise old owl lived in an oak_  
_The more he saw the less he spoke_  
_The less he spoke the more he heard._  
_Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?”_

 

Lovino didn’t realise that the scream brought everyone else to the scene.

A gasp.

“Herakles… Is he –” It was Yong Soo.

“No,” Matthew cut him off as he examined the hammer. “The hammer didn’t have enough force in its swing to kill him. Bruise, yes. Death, most unlikely.”

Alfred scratched his head in utter confusion. “Uh, Mattie? English please?”

“He’s not dead. Listen, you could even hear him snore,” Matthew sighed.

“Ah.”

“Mind telling us what this is all about?” Kirkland asked.

“Someone tried to kill Herakles. It didn't work,” Matthew remarked, as if it was obvious enough.

“How?” Kirkland pressed on.

“Simple. He used the pendulum principle. The culprit tied the rope to one of beams on the roof, and thus lifted the hammer to a certain height. He then raised the hammer out through the open door. When he released his hold, the hammer reacted by swinging inside. When he closed the French doors, the hammer returned and struck the locks, so it got stuck between them. The only thing left for him was to wait for an unwitting victim to push the doors open. Herakles probably used only a bit of force when opening the doors, so the hammer didn’t kill him,” Matthew finished his explanation by lightly tapping the Greek on the shoulder, thus proving to everyone that he wasn’t dead.

Lovino could really taste the slight condescension in Matthew’s statement. Or maybe that was just him. The guy was timid as a mouse. At least according to Alfred.

“Upupu~” Fernandez screeched as Alphachrome appeared out of nowhere. “Matthew Williams is right! As expected of him! Too bad, though. I was wishing there would be a case today,” the robotic alpaca continued.

Edelstein pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. “What do you mean, as expected?”

“Oopsie. I think I said too much. Bye!”

The alpaca disappeared again.

Seriously, what is wrong with that thing?

 

 

“I can’t believe your brother just spouted out a deduction. It’s just like Sherlock Holmes!” Feliciano remarked to Alfred as he was playing around with tonight’s pasta.

For some unknown reason, Lovino, Feliciano, and Alfred were given the kitchen duty tonight, with a stern warning from the resident SHSL Chef not to let the overbearing Brit in the kitchen.

Alfred was chopping tomatoes. “Eh, he does that once in a while. I can do that too, you know. Anyway, don’t worry about him, he’s harmless.”

“I still can’t believe one of us actually tried to kill,” Lovino grumbled as he was setting the plates.

“Yeah. And everyone seemed nice,” Alfred sighed.

“I guess this is what they call survival of the fittest.”

Just then, von Bock entered, with him was a clearly distressed Erzsébet.

“What is it? Did something happen?” Feliciano asked.

“You should see it for yourself. Let’s go,” was von Bock’s terse reply.

The three of them followed suite, but not before Feliciano turned off the burner.

 

They didn’t know what they expected when they arrived at the entrance hall. The entire place was covered in someone’s blood.

That someone was sprawled lifeless on the floor, the shears from Alphachrome’s toolset still sticking out of his abdomen.

Im Yong Soo looked tiny in death.

 

**End Third Day  
Students Remaining: 15**


	7. Pop Goes the Weasel

_“Half a pound of tuppenny rice,_  
_Half a pound of treacle._  
_That’s the way the money goes,_  
_Pop! Goes the weasel.”_

Lovino Vargas sighed. Im Yong Soo was irritating, yes. Horribly cheerful to a degree that could surpass even Feliciano, always claiming stuff, no wonder the others were pissed off at him. More importantly, he could very well be the first victim if ever someone decides to press the start button of this fucking killing game.

And so Lovino was not surprised to find himself walking down the hall with his brother, a very serious SHSL Programmer, Alfred, and a distraught SHSL Photojournalist.

He was not surprised to see the other ten students in the Entrance Hall, some of their voices hushed, barely audible, and some sounding tearful.

He was not surprised at all to find the cold, still corpse of the SHSL Inventor sprawled out on the floor of the Entrance Hall.

Feliciano was the first to react, his hand automatically covering his mouth as he screamed, with the tears beginning to pour out of his widened brown eyes.

Alfred, on the other hand, averted his eyes and refused to look at the corpse altogether.

Lovino divided his time between making his brother stop crying, and glaring at the other students.

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_“A body has been discovered! Following a brief period of investigation, we will commence our school trial! Oh, and could you guys go to the gym so I can explain how this goes?”_

 

The announcement brought everyone back to their senses.

“ _Shit!_ ” Arthur swore as he punched a nearby wall. “I’m going to dismantle that alpaca, or so help me God.”

The bell rang again. “Upupu~ I can hear you, you know. Violence against the headmaster is against the rules. Now all of you go to the gym, or you’ll all be _punished._ ”

 

 

Matthew was restraining Alfred as he screamed at the robot standing at the podium. “You _fucking_ psycho! What have you done to Yong Soo?”

“I didn’t touch him. I’m an honest alpaca! I _never_ lie. As long as you all follow the rules, I won’t do anything to you,” the alpaca sneered.

“So who killed Yong Soo?” Yao asked.

The alpaca laughed. “I’m sure you all know the answer to that. Of course, I wouldn’t gather you here if it wasn’t one of you who killed him.”

Lovino flinched, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been emptied on him.

“Eh? What’s wrong?” Alphachrome tilted his head. “You look as if someone just stole your grazing territory. Were you hoping to go for the first kill yourselves?” He laughed. “Haven’t I told you from the start? In order to graduate, someone killed Im Yong Soo. The culprit is one of you. He knows it himself.

Lovino studied the other students’ faces, intently trying to figure out who did it. He was not surprised to find the others doing the same. The room overflowed with faces full of doubt mixed with fear, confusion, and suspicion.

“So that person can graduate now?” Beilschmidt stared at Alphachrome’s eyes, challenging him.

“Eh?”

“Don’t act dumb. That’s what the rules say, don’t they? Someone who kills can graduate.”

The alpaca guffawed with amusement.

“What’s with the laugh?” Yao asked.

“You’re all so naïve. Did you really think graduating would be this easy?  Kill a person and get it done with?”

He cleared his throat. “Well, let me explain the graduation rule. It’s no good just killing someone. You must hide what you’ve done from everyone else! So we’ll have a jury system to decide who the culprit is. As you all know, I value democracy.”

The alpaca continued speaking, delighting in the confused and terrified faces of everyone present. “The school trial will start in a few hours. The evidence you gather will help you decide. During trial, you will get a chance to debate who the hidden killer is among yourselves. The result will be decided by vote, held at the end of the trial session. And then, if the answer you reach is the correct one, the culprit who disrupted public order will be punished, and the rest can go on living in mutual peace. On the other hand, if the wrong person is voted for as the culprit, the real culprit can go on his merry way home, and the rest of you will be punished. If that happens, that will also be the end of our communal lifestyle, of course! Those are the rules of the school trial!”

“By the way, what is this punishment you mention?” Honda asked.

“You know what I mean. Execution!” Alphachrome happily announced. “Zap in the electric chair! Choke in the gas chamber! Maybe I’ll tear your body up in a hurricane storm! Isn’t it about time you started your investigation? I updated your Student IDs with information about the body, seeing as most of you are probably incompetent enough to figure out this information yourselves. Now leave! I need my beauty sleep.” Alphachrome said, shooing them all away.


	8. Little Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigation Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long.  
> Please, heed my advice and never play CKII, it will ruin your life.
> 
> I removed a few paragraphs from the previous chapter and replaced it here, since I think it suits this chapter more.
> 
> Also, the beginning rhyme is taken from Korea.

_“In the moonlit night the roe deer,_  
_Hide-and-seek's the game they play._  
_They become thirsty, rush to here;_  
_After a quick drink, they go away.”_

Lovino swore as he stared at the Alphachrome File in his Electronic Student ID. “ _Damn it!_ Why would someone do this? He was just a kid!”

 

 **Alphachrome File 1**  
**Victim: Im Yong Soo**  
**The victim died in the Entrance Hall.**  
**The estimated time of death is between 6 to 8 in the evening.**  
**The cause of death is a stab wound to the abdomen, causing the victim to bleed out of a major artery.**  
**The victim shows signs of a struggle.**

 

Matthew sighed. This wouldn’t be easy to decipher.

He turned to his brother. “Did any of you three leave the kitchen before Eduard came?”

“Er, no. Right, Vargas?”

Lovino just nodded.

“The file confirms that he died from the stab wound. We found the murder weapon in the scene, but we can’t check for finger prints. The weapon came from Alphachrome’s toolset. Everyone received a toolset, right?” Matthew asked.

Erzsébet raised her hand. “Ah, I received a sewing kit instead.”

Beilschmidt raised an eyebrow. “So you mean we only have to find out who’s missing the shears in their tool kit?”

“It seems so, yes. Or someone whose tool set has its seal broken, since it’s plausible that he’d steal his victim’s.” Matthew’s glasses had a strange gleam to them. “But first, who found the body?”

“Erzsébet did. I heard her scream as I left the music room. As soon as I got her to calm down, we went to find the others,” Edelstein answered for her.

“The best we can do is to separate in groups to find clues,” Bonnefoy suggested.

“What about the body? The culprit might return and mess up the crime scene,” Kirkland said.

“I’ll watch over it,” Beilschmidt volunteered.

Zwingli frowned, not agreeing with the plan. “I’ll help. That way if either of us is the culprit, we won’t be able to mess it up with the one watching.”

 

“Remind me again why I got stuck with you guys again,” Lovino complained.

Feliciano beamed at him. “Ve~ It’s nice. There’s safety in numbers, right?”

“Yeah, Feli’s right, it’ll be f–nice,” Alfred’s last minute change of wording was so obvious, it hurt.

Matthew was too deep in thought to comment on it.

“So, where do we go next?” Alfred asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe to Yong Soo’s Room, try to find clues there?” Matthew suggested.

 

 

 **Despair Hotel**  
**Yong Soo’s Room**

 

“Now what?” Lovino asked.

“Now, we find clues,” Matthew answered. He was already rummaging through Yong Soo’s closet. “Seems like he used up a page from his notepad.”

Lovino raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“He didn’t exactly rip out the whole page,” Matthew replied, showing the rest of them the notepad. Sure enough, there were remains of a ripped-up page still sticking out on the front.

“Eh? The seal on his tool kit is broken?” Feliciano remarked in surprise, his eyes still on the tool kit.

Matthew turned to Feliciano. “Let me see that.”

Feliciano handed the tool kit to Matthew, still wearing his bewildered expression.

“There are a few things missing here,” Matthew said, examining the tool kit.

“Which are?” Alfred asked.

“A hammer and a pair of shears,” Matthew casually said as he examined the rest of the room.

“No way,” Alfred breathed out.

Matthew shrugged. “When there’s no other way, it’s the truth.”

“So, you finished yet, bro?”Alfred asked again.

His twin nodded back. “Yeah, I’m good. Nothing else to see here.”

 

 

“Where to next, captain?” Alfred asked his brother.

Matthew tilted his head up, obviously annoyed at his brother’s antics. “The incinerator room, I have to check something.”

“Your brother is starting to scare me, Jones,” Lovino whispered.

“Don’t mind him, he’s always like that when something happens. You’ll get used to it.”

 

 

 **Despair Hotel**  
**Incinerator Room**

 

“So, any of you know who’s on garbage duty?” Alfred asked.

“Alphachrome hasn’t assigned it yet, so we’re free to go in and out as we please,” Feliciano said.

Lovino’s face was one of surprise. “More importantly, why is the incinerator turned on? The last time I went here, that thing was off.”

“Really? How interesting,” Matthew commented.

“There’s something burnt near the incinerator. It must’ve fallen off,” Alfred announced as he picked up the said thing.

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_“I’m getting bored! We should start the show, don’t you think? The school trial we’ve all been waiting for! Well then, please enter the blue door in the first floor of the school area. Upupu~ I’ll see you soon!!”_

 

“So that’s where he’s planning everything to happen. No wonder it was locked all this time. Well, you done yet? I think we should go already,” Alfred muttered.

**School Proper**  
**Blue Trial Room**

 

“You’re late as usual. You’ve kept everyone waiting,” Beilschmidt told Lovino's group as they entered the premises.

“Yeah, we’re sorry, someone got carried away with the investigation,” Lovino said while taking a side glance at Matthew.

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_“Is everyone here already? If so, then please enter the yellow elevator you see in front of you. It will take you bastards to the courtroom I prepared especially for you, the court that will decide your fate. I’m already there, so please don’t keep me waiting any longer.”_

 

All fifteen remaining students embarked the elevator, each of them weighed down by the tragedy they just saw a few hours ago.

The elevator descended into the underground arena, shaking along the way.

And as the elevator doors opened, they all knew that a war was about to start. A war between hope and despair, between truth and deception, between life and death.

The class trial begins.


	9. Jack be Nimble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial begins.

_“Jack be nimble,_  
_Jack be quick,_  
_Jack jump over the cliff._  
_‘Cause fire is the devil's only friend.”_

 

**Basement Trial Room**

 

“Upupu~ Finally! We can start!” The overly happy alpaca jumped up from where he was sitting as the elevator door opened.

“Well, what do you think? The design’s just appropriate, isn’t it?” the robot asked.

“What’s with the oriental theme?” Antonio asked.

“Oh, nothing, just because. Eh, whatever, everyone please sit down on the chair with your name on it,” the alpaca beamed.

Everyone went and did what they were told. The chairs were curiously arranged in a circular formation, so that everyone could see each other’s faces.

“Why are there seventeen seats?” Francis asked.

The alpaca shrugged. “Don’t mind it. This room only happens to have the capacity of seventeen people.”

“What’s with the picture?” Ludwig asked, referring to the photo of Yong Soo crossed out with the color of blood and placed on the chair with his name. It was a disturbing sight.

“You don’t want anyone to miss out the fun even if they’re not here, right? Moving on, can we start already? I have the execution prepared and ready to use, and I definitely don’t want it to go to waste. You guys should definitely start with stating the file, just saying,” Alphachrome said, still grinning condescendingly at them.

“Fine. The victim is Im Yong Soo. The murder took place in the entrance hall,” Matthew sighed.

“In that case, maybe he was looking for a way to pick the locks when he was attacked and killed without a struggle?” Erzsébet asked.

“Weren’t you paying attention? There were signs of a struggle, and besides, if he was stabbed out of nowhere while picking the locks, then shouldn’t the wound be on his back?” Lovino snapped. Normally he wouldn’t do so on a woman, but the stress _was_ starting to get to him.

“Sorry,” Erzsébet said, retreating back to her seat.

“Let’s continue, then. How about we discuss the murder weapon?” Ludwig asked.

“The shears that were used came from Alpahchrome’s toolset,” It was Eduard who replied.

“I checked all our toolsets. None of us has broken the seal yet. And the culprit couldn’t have possibly switched it, it has our names,” Arthur announced.

“None of the living students, you mean. I found Yong Soo’s own toolset. Both his shears and his hammer were missing,” Matthew pointed out. He was smirking.

“Could it mean that Yong Soo was the one who tried to kill Herakles?” Yao asked, clutching his panda plushie tighter.

“The way I see it, there’s no other possibility,” Kiku said.

“You’re right. And by the looks of it, after his first attempt failed, he may have tried to lure someone into thinking he’s found an opening in the hall, then tried to kill again,” Matthew said.

“So his death was because the culprit tried to defend himself?” Roderich asked.

“Either way, we still need to find the murderer if we want to live,” Francis shrugged.

“You’re horrible sometimes,” Antonio whined.

“The file says he bled to death, so the culprit’s clothes should have blood on them, right?” Feliciano asked.

“But if I was the culprit, wouldn’t I have cleaned up?” Alfred asked.

“You have a point there,” Feliciano lowered his head to think once more.

“There is a way to dispose of the clothes. We went to the incinerator room, remember? One of the incinerators was turned on. He probably used that to burn his clothes,” Matthew said.

“Didn’t we find something burnt near the machine?” Alfred asked.

“It was a bit of cloth and something else. So, you see, I was right,” Matthew’s glasses had that strange glint on them once more.

“Speaking of which, Yong Soo was clutching a torn piece of paper when I checked him again,” Basch said.

“So the culprit burned the note along with his clothes to get rid of the evidence?” Yao asked.

“You all heard that, right?” Arthur said.

“Heard what?” Yao asked nervously.

“I never said it was a note. Neither did I say that the something else in question was a piece of paper,” Matthew said, a triumphant smile tugging at his lips in spite of himself.

“D–don’t make me laugh. Could you really prove I’m the culprit just by that?” Yao looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Oh? Then pray, tell us, why did you stop wearing your hair in a ponytail?” Arthur asked.

“T–that’s because –”

“You were wounded during the struggle, weren’t you? You’re using your hair to hide it,” Matthew said.

“I –”

“Give it up, you’re already caught. Merchants should know this, right?” Herakles yawned.

Yao lowered his head and started to weep.

“Upupu~ You’re _finally_ done! Let’s go voting! Please use the button in front of you,” Alphachrome clapped his hooves happily.

 

**ALPHAVOTE: YAO WANG**

 

“Well, what do you know? You voted for the right culprit!” Alphachrome guffawed.

“Anyway, before the real fun begins, let me tell you a tale of two Koreans,” the robot suddenly turned serious.

“Once upon a time, there was a pair of twins born to a poor family. The boy’s name was Im Yong Soo, and the girl was named Im Soo Yeon. They were really smart, and they learned how build things they can sell to earn money.”

“One day, their talent was discovered by a wealthy old man. So he took both of them, and let them study in top schools. But as the twins grew older, they started to drift apart.”

“Then, the old man died. The twins thought that he would leave both of them some money. They were wrong. Only the boy inherited property, because the old man thought that girls don’t have any right to own property. This made the girl angry and she left her brother.”

“Now, the boy was sent an invitation to ‘the school life of mutual killing’. He thought he wouldn’t survive. Until the gracious Alphachrome revealed the motive. Ten billion bucks! It would be enough to make his sister forgive him, right? So he resolved to murder. By a slight miscalculation on his side, he failed the first time. But that didn’t dampen his resolve. He tried to do it again. Sadly, this time he was the one who died. This ends our story. And now, I think it’s punishment time!” Alphachrome reclined back on his chair.

“Punishment? But I only did it for self-defenae!” Yao screamed.

“Oh, well. No time for regrets now. Everyone is waiting! And no excuses, we must punish offenders in order to keep the peace, right?”

“I have prepared a special punishment for Wang Yao, the Super High School Level Merchant! Let’s give our best!” Alphachrome beamed.

Yao was screaming when the chains appeared out of nowhere and dragged him away.

 

**FLUFF ATTACK**

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The only thing Yao could hear was the frantic beating of his heart. Not so much as a whisper rises from the spectators. The only thing they have uttered this whole time was a choked gasp.

If the gasp was the most horrifying, the silence is the most difficult. It was silence that drowns out Yao’s pleading while he was still coherent. _Somebody please do something_ , he says. If the students close their eyes they can see his hope breaking. _Oh god, anyone. Please._

That’s when they come out.

It seems comical, straight out of a gory movie parody. There were cute panda shaped things chasing him on a seemingly endless road. He knows he couldn’t stop, for if he does, they would rip him apart.

Every muscle in the room is tense like a coiled spring as everyone holds their breath waiting for someone to do something, anything. For someone to stop refusing to meet everyone’s and Yao’s eyes, to shrug off the guilt settling over each student’s shoulders as they stand by, not daring to shuffle their feet, for someone to say a word or raise a hand against this.

Yao was still screaming, pleading an audience whose faces he cannot see, as he saw that the road ended on a cliff. If he continues to run, he’ll fall as a crumpled, bloodied heap. If he doesn’t, those things will end him.

He continues to run.

Then he falls, the welcoming bamboo shoots piercing each and every part of his body. Perhaps, it would’ve been better for him if he stopped running.

If the most difficult part of it was their silence while Yao was begging, then the most awful part was when Yao, too, became silent.

The students do not say anything or make any move to try to do something before it kills him. Yao did not expect them to do so.

As his body stopped sliding down the bamboo shoots smeared with his blood, the silence in the room becomes total.

It is finally over.

 

 **End Fourth Day**  
**Students Remaining: 14**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo Yeon is N Korea.
> 
> Special thanks to tumblr user cihna for the execution suggestion.


	10. Tisket, Tasket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “... a whole new world...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone!

_“A-tisket a-tasket_  
_A green and yellow basket_  
_I sent a letter to my love_  
_And on the way I dropped it,_  
_I dropped it, I dropped it_  
_Yes, on the way I dropped it_  
_A little boy picked it up_  
_And put it in his pocket.”_

“So, everyone, did you like it? Because I did,” Alphachrome laughed.

“Like it?! You killed someone! How can we like it?” Erzsébet asked.

“Oh well, everyone's a critic. Now, off to your rooms. I need to prepare another surprise for you,” Alphachrome frowned as he shooed them all away for the second time that day.

 

Lovino wasn’t sure what was happening anymore.

A few hours (he was fairly sure it had been hours, even though his sense of time was warped) after they were dismissed from watching Yao’s execution (which he would much rather forget, thank you very much), here they were back in the gymnasium for another of Alphachrome’s _fun_ announcements.

“I forgot to tell you guys a while ago, but playtime is over, so I cleaned those pesky bodies away. Of course, there’s also the issue of them rotting and stinking up the place, so no need to thank me, I’m just doing my job as Headmaster,” the smiling face of the alpaca greeted them as they entered the doors.

“So that’s it? You won’t even let us mourn our friends?” Antonio asked.

Alphachrome snorted in response. “Obviously, that’s not the reason I called you guys here now, is it? Now listen carefully. Every time you survive a trial, a brand new world will open up before you! Enjoy!”

And with a puff of smoke, Alphachrome disappeared yet again.

         

“A brand new world? Maybe it’s a way out?” Alfred asked.

“Don’t delude yourself, Al. He won’t make it that easy,” Matthew sighed. It seemed like he was back to his normal self, that is, his shy and exasperated personality.

“For now, we should split up and explore. Please be back at lunchtime to report what you found,” Kiku said.

 

“So, did you guys find anything?” Ludwig asked.

“There’s an A/V room upstairs. Sucks that he didn’t even leave CDs,” Alfred sighed.

“And a pool,” Erzsébet said rather excitedly.

Eduard spoke next. “Except there’s no way out on that floor, either.”

“In other news, I found that the storage rooms and the public bath in this floor have been unlocked,” Francis said in an attempt to lighten up everyone’s moods.

Obviously, it didn’t work, because his next words also revealed that said storage rooms did not have tools they can use to break down the door.

“I found something else in that A/V room, though.”

Everyone turned to see who spoke. It was Matthew, who was holding up an old letter envelope.

“It looks as if it’s been there for a long time, since it was almost fully covered in dust,” Matthew added.

“Did you open it yet?” Roderich asked.

“No. I figured I should do it with everyone else.”

With that, Matthew tore open the envelope and read its contents.

_“An Order from the Office of the Head Master_

_For Dissemination throughout the W Academy campus_

_For many years here at W Academy, we have given our undivided attention to advancing the state of humanity the world over._

_During our long history, using government approved traditional educational facilities, we have sent many graduates into society, where many of them do great things in their respective fields._

_However, we are sad to announce that the curtain is coming down on our glorious history._

_It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but it was one unavoidable in light of a certain severe problem._

_That said, this is not the end of W Academy._

_In the near future, as soon as the situation changes for the better, we hope to reinstate our educational facilities once more._

_Finally, to each and every one of you who supported us and gave us your best for many years, we offer our deep and sincere appreciation._

_Proper abolishment of this school will occur upon approval from the concerned government facilities._

_Signed,_

_The Headmaster of W Academy”_

 

“Interestingly enough, they erased the name of the headmaster,” Matthew said.

“Seriously Matt, that’s what you’re worried about? How about the fact that someone managed to fool us and our families into sending us to a school that’s apparently been shut down for a while?”

For the first time ever, it was Alfred who was angry at his brother’s messed-up priorities and not the other way around.

“It’s just a thought Alfred,” Matthew sighed.

Ludwig had to break up the twins before the argument could turn into a shouting match between two similar-sounding voices.

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_“This is a school announcement.  All students are to report at the A/V room immediately. Anyone who refuses to go will be punished.”_

 

Somehow, Lovino knew that he’d never get used to these kinds of things.

The scene before them was very similar to the first time it happened. Only now, two students were missing. And it was all because of the robot cackling in front of them.

“Hey, everyone! I hope you had fun looking around your new world. By the way, there was something else in this room that you forgot.”

Alphachrome then pointed in the direction of a cardboard box.

“The box contains a movie I made especially for you. I think you’ll enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing X-rated. After all, I’m not that kind of alpaca. Bye!”

“He disappeared again,” Basch said.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Alfred sighed.

“Look, _Fratello_ , the DVDs have our names printed on each of them,” Feliciano pointed out.

Lovino snatched the box away from his brother and pulled out the DVD labelled with his name and his brother’s on it. “Let me see that.”

The rest pulled out their own discs from the box after Lovino.

“I wonder what it’s about, _Fratello_ ,” Feliciano asked.

“Probably another stupid motive. Now shut up, it’s playing.”

The screen came to life. It showed their _Nonno's_ restaurant, the one in the apartment where they lived. It was empty, no guests, no staff, until the image flickered again. Their grandfather and their brothers were sitting on a bench that had been dragged away from one of the tables. Nonno was smiling his usual dumb smile that Feliciano inherited.

“Hey, boys, we’re really happy that both of you got into the academy. Now only Carlino here needs to get in, and that would make all of you alumni of W Academy,” At this point, their grandfather started ruffling their youngest brother’s hair, while Carlino laughed, trying to swat him off.

“You're both so talented, and you're going to go far if you just work hard. Just because I'm not around doesn't mean you slack off! I hope I hear from you both soon,” their grandfather continued.

The screen suddenly flickered, and went to static.

Then another image appeared. It still showed the restaurant, but it was all wrecked apart, the bench toppled over, several tables broken, shattered glass littered the floor, and the tiles and the walls were streaked with blood.

Colour drained from Lovino’s face, while a whimper escaped from Feliciano who was gripping his brother’s shoulder tightly that Lovino feared that he might dislocate it.

The image faded away, replaced with one of that goddamn fucking alpaca with the caption underneath proclaiming “Want to find out what happens next? You'll have to graduate first!"

The screen faded out for the last time.

Lovino could tell by their reactions that everyone saw something similar to what the brothers had.

No one could hide their fear and confusion anymore.

 

**End Fifth Day  
Students Remaining: 14**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, the Italy brothers are Vatican, San Marino, S Italy, N Italy, and Seborga.


	11. Adorned Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which panic overtakes the students of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, what with finals and graduation, and finding the right university. Yeah, that's about my excuse. Now read, and despair.
> 
> Anyway, if you guys want to drop me a line or two, feel free to visit my tumblr account [here](http://doitsus-dandylions.tumblr.com).

_“Adorned palace,_  
_Its window is green,_  
_Come out you, rose,_  
_The violet is waiting for you._

 _I am little,_  
_I'll grow up someday,_  
_Next year or two years hence_  
_I'll become a big girl.”_

 

 **Cafeteria**  
**6 th day**

 

“Did he really think we were going to fall for that?” Arthur asked, his voice tinged with worry, although he was trying to hide it.

“I think he just edited the original videos to scare us,” Erzsébet said. Lovino trusted her judgement, of course she’d know, she’s a photojournalist.

“The effects seemed real, though, I’m not really sure. Video editing is a bit different from photo editing. Not that I edit my photos,” she added.

Well. That didn’t help at all.

“He’s having fun, seeing us kill each other. But no one would do it, after what happened to Yao,” Kiku said.

“So now he’s mentally torturing us?” Francis asked.

“He’s hoping someone would be desperate enough to fall for his trap,” Lovino said through gritted teeth. No way he’d believe his family would go down without a fight.

“He’s not hoping, he _knows_ someone would be desperate enough to do whatever it takes to get out given the right incentive. Whatever it takes, including murder,” Matthew corrected him.

Silence hung in the air once more. They knew Matthew was right. Yong Soo was evidence of that.

Eduard turned. “It's true that none of us really know each other that well, or what anyone else just saw on their screens. You might think your video isn't worth killing over, but someone else might be.”

Basch shrugged. “I’m going back to my room. Have fun killing yourselves.”

“Basch, wait!” Feliciano screamed at the retreating figure of Basch.

Ludwig shook his head. “Leave him be, Feliciano. He can protect himself.”

 

 

 **First Floor Hallway**  
**6 th Day**  
**5.00 pm**

 

“Ve~ Come on, Lovi! It’ll be nice,” Feliciano said as he was trying to pull his brother to the music room.

Lovino on the other hand wasn’t so eager at the prospect, struggling to break free from Feliciano’s grip. “Feli, you idiot, let me go! I haven’t played in years.”

“Exactly! That’s why I wanted to hear you play again,” Feliciano replied, tightening his grip on his brother’s hand.

Antonio laughed as he walked with them, having been convinced by Feliciano that he was enough of an audience for them.

“You know, if you actually agreed to a recital before, you could’ve gotten in as SHSL Violinist instead of Good Luck,” Feli quipped.

Lovino was one swift to reply. “And still join a killing game? No thanks.”

“So you admit that you’re a good player, then?”

Lovino’s cheeks were the colour of ripe tomatoes at this point. “Ye – I mean, no, I don’t.”

Feliciano had a smirk on his face, the one he has whenever he knows he already won an argument.

Lovino decided he’d better shut his trap before his brother makes him admit it. And did he really have to drag that annoying idiot with them? Oh, well, at least it’s not Alfred this time.

“I’m telling you, Antonio, you won’t regret going with us. It’s a pity I can’t find Alfred, though,” Feliciano said as he pushed the doors to the music room open.

Which is a good thing, since that idiot probably doesn’t know how to appreciate proper music.

“Ve~” Feliciano tilted his head. “Look, Roderich fell asleep on the piano. Should we wake him up?”

Actually, Feliciano did not need his brother’s permission to do so, as he was already headed for the piano before he even finished his sentence.

Feliciano was about to tap Roderich on the shoulder when he gasped.

“ _Fratello_ , I don’t think Roderich’s sleeping.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just come over here. Please,” was all Feliciano could say. He slipped into his low-pitched, serious voice, a stark contrast to his usual high-pitched, chipper tone.

Lovino had a bad feeling.

“Alright, what is it?” He tried to act unconcerned, but his voice gave him away.

Feliciano could only point at the piano in response. He wasn’t even looking at his brother.

Red. It was the only thing Lovino could see. A grotesque masterpiece, crimson blood on ivory keys. Roderich slumped on one side, a gaping hole on the back of his head caused by some unknown blunt object. Death came quickly to him, Lovino decided. Roderich probably didn’t even feel it.

Thus, Despair claimed the life of another student of Hope.

 

 **End Sixth Day**  
**Students Remaining: 13**


	12. Oh, My Dear Augustine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation starts, and they find something more sinister than what they previously thought.

_“_ _Augustine, Augustine,_  
_Lay down in your grave!_  
_Oh, my dear Augustine,_  
_Everything's gone!”_

 

_DING-DONG-DING_

_“A body has been discovered! Following a brief period of investigation, we will commence our school trial.”_

 

The alarm went off, and Lovino swore. Alphachrome won again.

“Shit! Stay away from there, Feli, and _don’t touch anything._ Let’s go find the others.”

Feliciano obeyed before he could give Lovino a reason to drag him by the ear. Antonio was walking behind them, his usual smile erased from his face.

 

They found the rest of their class huddled together in the cafeteria, worry etched into their brows as they discussed who died this time. Alfred brightened up when he caught sight of them, relieved that his friends are alive.

It was then that they realised who was dead, and Erzsébetstiffened at this revelation. Lovino was going to ask why, but then he remembered that Erzsébet and Roderich became close to each other during the past few days they spent in hell, and she was always listening to him play songs in the music room. Wait, _the music room_?

“Erzsébet, sorry if this sounds too blunt, but were you in the music room today?” Lovino asked.

Erzsébet wiped the tears welling up in her eyes and looked up at Lovino. “No. Is that where – ?”

Lovino nodded and turned away from her piercing gaze.

 

They changed the guards, of course. This time it was Alfred and Arthur assigned to guard the music room. The rest of them split up to find evidence. Lovino found himself with his brother and Antonio, the same group who found Roderich.

They were about to leave the music room when they heard Erzsébet say that there used to be a metronome placed on top of the piano. Feliciano then took it upon himself to find the metronome, claiming that it might be important evidence.

They found the metronome covered in blood in a trash bin near the Despair Hotel. It was impossible to say from whose room it came from, but based on the amount of blood covering it, it was obvious that it was the object that caused Roderich’s demise.

 

On Antonio’s suggestion, they listed the people who weren’t present in the cafeteria at the time of Roderich’s death. According to the Alphachrome File, it was between 12 noon and 3 pm, and from there they rounded down the number of culprits. Excluding Roderich himself, it was Erzsébet, Basch, Arthur, and Herakles. They went on to find the people on the list and ask for their alibis.

Basch said that he locked himself up in his room to sleep. Herakles was in the library, and Matthew told them that that’s where he found Herakles when the alarm sounded. They found Arthur in the music room bickering with Alfred, and when they asked him what he was doing between 12 and 3, he just shrugged and told them he was sleeping in his room. That only left Erzsébet’s alibi, but where was she?

Eduard had the answer. He told them that he, Basch, and Erzsébet were supposed to investigate together, but Erzsébet told them she’d rather stay in her room, thank you very much, so they left her there after checking that she locked her door. Eduard and Basch parted ways soon afterward, and Eduard joined Matthew and Herakles to find evidence.

 

Matthew and his group joined Lovino’s own group and went to the Despair Hotel to check on Erzsébet’s alibi, but no amount of knocking at her door made her answer nor open the door. They were about to knock again when Feliciano noticed a sheet of paper peeking out from under the door.

_“If you need me, I’m in the gymnasium.”_

 

The gymnasium was located on the first floor, near the school entrance, and it was the place where Alphachrome told them about the School Life of Mutual Killing. Why Erzsébet would want to go there, no one knew.

Kiku knocked first. “Erzsébet, please open the door.”

When no one answered, Lovino stepped up and asked. “Are we even sure she’s in there?”

“Yes, there’s a bolt mechanism on the door that makes it possible to lock it only from the inside, and since it’s locked right now, there should be someone in there, right?” Matthew said.

Lovino sighed aloud. “Did the rules say anything about breaking things in the school?”

“No, why?” Eduard asked.

“Because we might need to break down that door,” was Lovino's grim reply.

 

After a few tries, they successfully opened the door, but nothing could prepare them from the sight that awaited them inside. Swinging from a rope tied to the ceiling of the gymnasium, her back to the door, was Erzsébet.

 

 **End Seventh Day**  
**Students Remaining: 12**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in [tumblr](http://pillowfortbarricades.tumblr.com), come and say hi!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I also have a tumblr right [here](http://ranichi17.tumblr.com/).


End file.
